Rating summary

Movie		5.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		4.0

Modern Times Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 23, 2015

Charlie Chaplin's "Modern Times" (1936) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Curzon Artificial Eye. The supplemental features on the disc include original trailers for the film; introduction by David Robinson; the documentary feature "Chaplin Today: Modern Times", with special guests Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne; deleted scene; and more. In English, without optional English SDH subtitles. Region-B "locked".

"It should not be that difficult..."

Modern Times is Charlie Chaplin’s last silent film. I like it a lot because it is one of the great actor’s least dated films. It is witty and funny but also incredibly sad film, in a lot of ways depicting successfully the type of world we are currently living in - obsessed with productivity and corporate profits.

The Tramp is a factory worker. He suffers a nervous breakdown and ends up in prison where he accidentally swallows some cocaine and then prevents a group of inmates from escaping. Eventually, much to his disappointment he is released back into society where people are rude and food expensive.

While wandering around, the Tramp meets a beautiful homeless girl (Paulette Goddard) and immediately falls in love with her. After spending some time together, the two begin fantasizing about having a place they could call home. Convinced that anything is possible with hard work and determination, including saving enough to buy a home, the Tramp gets a job as a night guard in a large department store. A day later, he is fired.

The Tramp gets a new job in a large industrial plant but the workers go on strike demanding better wages. While attempting to leave the plant, he is arrested and sent back to prison. Meanwhile, his girlfriend is offered a job in an upscale restaurant.

A week later the Tramp is released. His girlfriend greets him in front of the prison and informs him that he can work with her in the restaurant - at least she hopes so. The Tramp meets the owner and he agrees to hire him as a waiter and singer. For the Tramp and his girlfriend life could not be better.

But once again everything that could go wrong goes terribly wrong - the Tramp frustrates a wealthy customer and then causes an enormous mess in the restaurant. Two policemen also appear to arrest the Tramp’s girlfriend, who is wanted on charges of burglary.

Modern Times was the last of the Tramp films. It was also the film that gave the notorious House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA) the confidence to speculate that Chaplin might be a communist sympathizer (it was the famous scene in which the Tramp gets arrested in front of the industrial plant where workers and policemen clash that made a lot of people in Washington nervous). J. Edgar Hoover even ordered the FBI to monitor Chaplin and keep detailed secret files on him.

Though Modern Times houses a strong dose of social criticism, it is certainly not a political film. Rather, it is a witty film that satirizes an industrial society obsessed with productivity, profits, and growth – much like contemporary America.

There are strong romantic overtones in Modern Times as well - most of which unfortunately take away from the serious message the film was supposedly meant to deliver. The Tramp’s factory exploits, for instance, feel rather awkward next to the prolonged casual romantic scenes in which he tries to impress his girlfriend.

Modern Times is one of my favorite Chaplin films because its narrative constantly evolves – it is a hilarious, sad, serious, and at the same time genuinely romantic film with incredible energy. I also like it because it is arguably the most honest and unglamorous of the Tramp films, and just as relevant today as it was in 1936.

Modern Times Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.34:1, encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Charlie Chaplin's Modern Times arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of British distributors Curzon Artificial Eye.

The release is sourced from the same MK2 master Park Circus accessed when they prepared their release in 2010, but the technical presentation on this release is a lot more pleasing. Indeed, many of the compression artifacts and the chroma noise that are present on the old release have been eliminated. The blacks, grays and white are also far better balanced. Traces of some very light sharpening can be spotted, but they never become distracting. Grain is visible throughout the entire film, but it isn't always as well distributed and resolved as it should be. Image stability is good. Finally, there are no large debris, cuts, damage marks, or warps. All in all, while there is room for some improvements, the technical presentation is quite pleasing. My score is 3.75/5.00. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray release. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free player in order to access its content).

Modern Times Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one standard audio track on this Blu-ray release: English LPCM 2.0. Obviously, the film comes with English intertitles.

I did some comparisons with the lossless track from the old Park Circus release of Modern Times and the quality of the audio is basically identical. Clarity and depth are very good, but the range of nuanced dynamics is, rather predictably, limited. There are no pops, cracks, audio dropouts, or distortions to report in our review.

Modern Times Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Introduction by David Robinson - a short introduction to Modern Times by Charlie Chaplin biographer David Robinson, in which he discusses the era during which the film was shot, the impact the Great Depression had on the film industry in America, Charlie Chaplin's views on the new industrialization trends, the film's production history, etc. In English, not subtitled. (7 min).

• Chaplin Today - Modern Times - a documentary, produced by MK2TV, in which film directors Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne analyze Charlie Chaplin's film. In French, dubbed in English. (27 min).

• Trailers for the Film - original trailers for Modern Times. (7 min).

• Extracts from the Films in The Charlie Chaplin Collection - (11 min).

• Karaoke - Charlie Chaplin's performance in the restaurant with text. (5 min).

• Outtake - one long deleted scene with the Tramp getting harassed by a traffic cop. (2 min).

• Cannes Festival Trailer - Modern Times was screened at the Cannes Film Festival in 2003 (it was the closing film). This trailer was used to promote the screening. Music only. (3 min).

• The Idle Class - Charlie Chaplin wrote, produced and directed The Idle Class in 1932. Also starring Edna Purviance and Charles Aber. Music. (30 min).

Modern Times Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Together with City Lights, Modern Times is a film I always keep coming back to -- some of Charlie Chaplin's best improvisations are here. It really is a special film. In the United Kingdom, Modern Times was initially released on Blu-ray by Park Circus. This release is sourced from the same master Park Circus worked with, but the technical presentation is better. The release has a better selection of supplemental features as well. RECOMMENDED.